Probiotic Foods: Benefits to the Cereal Based Sri Lankan Diet
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Ceylon Journal of Science 47(2) 2018: 105-123 DOI: http://doi.org/10.4038/cjs.v47i2.7506 REVIEW ARTICLE Probiotic foods: Benefits to the cereal based Sri Lankan diet Anjani M. Karunaratne Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka Received:13/10/2017; Accepted:25/12/2017 Abstract: The Sri Lankan diet of which the staple is rice, has protein and micronutrients. A well-balanced Sri Lankan unacceptable levels of antinutritional substances, particularly diet composed of rice, spicy vegetable curries and protein phytic acid, which is associated with fibre, a dietary component sources (pulses or food of animal origin) at recommended originating from plant sources of food. Low anthropometric portion sizes (FBDG, 2011), is enriched with dietary fibre indicators among preschool children suggestive of undernutrition and antioxidants and hence, has the potential of being a have remained static over several years. Some microbes that healthy meal. However, as consumed by the masses, the ferment food are known to produce phytase that metabolize diet lacks both balance and variety (Jayawardena et al., phytic acid in addition to providing other benefits. Some of these 2012) which seems to have severe repercussions on the microbes in fermented foods serve as probiotics, which help nutritional status and health. In addition to several studies maintain homeostasis within the gut microbiota, thus providing a reporting the prevalence of undernutrition among children wide range of health benefits. At present, it is a worldwide trend (as discussed later), a national nutritional survey (Jayatissa to incorporate probiotics to the daily diet in fermented foods, et al., 2012) shows the prevalence of malnutrition (both while a market for novel probiotic foods is catching on. In the undernutrition and overnutrition) in the adult population as gut, probiotics can thrive on indigestible carbohydrates (fibre) well. serving as prebiotics. Therefore, designing synbiotic foods having Even the diets of children do not differ greatly from that both probiotics and prebiotics with enhanced benefits is also of adults. The level of the antinutritional substance phytic becoming popular globally. This review evaluates the feasibility acid is unacceptably high in certain combinations of meals of introducing a wide range of fermented foods to the Sri Lankan of preschool children (3- 5 year olds) (Karunaratne et al., diet. Such a move is envisaged to diversify the local diet thus 2008). Multiple micronutrient deficiencies are recorded helping to alleviate certain nutritional shortcomings. This can from the southern parts of Sri Lanka in a study carried out subsequently help in the introduction of specific probiotics with on school children (12-15 year olds) in spite of the subjects beneficial effects. being clinically healthy (Hettiarachchi et al., 2006). Also, a more recent study carried out in the south of the country Keywords: gut microbiota, paraprobiotics, malnutrition, food on younger children (18-24 months), a high prevalence fermentation, non-communicable diseases, preschool children. of undernutrition based on anthropometric parameters is reported with the levels of wasting and underweight INTRODUCTION showing an increase with increasing age (Ubeysekara et In any part of Sri Lanka, the staple diet composes mainly al., 2015). Similarly, on a study on rural preschool children of rice (about 300 – 400 g) (FBDG, 2011) with some (3- 5 year olds) in central Sri Lanka, low anthropometric vegetables and typically a small portion (about 15 g) of parameters are reported, indicating undernutrition with meat or fish (Jayawardena et al., 2012), or a chicken egg inability to discern specific limiting nutrients (Karunaratne, (whole or half). While the intake of specific quantities from 2007). In fact, with single micronutrient supplementations a variety of food is recommended for Sri Lankans (FBDG, not having yielded satisfactory results the existence 2011), the bulk of the food consumed by the average Sri of multiple micronutrient deficiencies in developing Lankan can be considered as composed of rice with a countries is evident (Hettiarachchi et al., 2006). A national few vegetables (Jayawardena et al., 2012). Tudawe and micronutrient survey reports anthropometric indicators Wikramanayake (2000) fittingly document the diet of the among 7306 preschool children (6–59 months) with rural populations in Sri Lanka as being high in cereals stunting, wasting and underweight percentages at 13.1%, with low intake of foods of animal origin. In fact this 19.6%, and 23.5% respectively (Jayatissa et al., 2012). The description seems to cover the typical diet of the average above studies indicate that undernutrition is a major public Sri Lankan and may not be restricted to rural populations health problem in Sri Lanka affecting children. With such alone. Although, globally it is an accepted fact that a well a long chronological span of studies consistently reporting planned vegetarian diet is healthy (Agnoli et al., 2017), it is undernutrition in specific regions, the existence of hidden proven beyond doubt that a primarily vegetarian diet unless hunger (that indicates multiple micronutrient deficiencies properly planned, could result in deficiencies in terms of with no overt symptoms) is apparent. Therefore, the need *Corresponding Author’s Email: [email protected] http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6702-6331 This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. 106 Ceylon Journal of Science 47(2) 2018:105-123 to find solutions to combat this situation is felt deeply. fermented foods in vegetarian diets, will help in overcoming Unfortunately, even Thriposha which is a nutritional vitamin deficiencies, specially vitamin 12B being the supplement containing cereals and pulses, supplied as limiting micronutrient (Agnoli et al., 2017) provided the a remedy to such groups has high levels of phytic acid right microorganisms are used in their fermentation. (Karunaratne, 2007). Improving the inherent quality of the Sri Lankan diet, which has large quantities of dietary fibre associated with the antinutrient phytic acid (Karunaratne, With the unraveling of the beneficial roles of probiotics et al., 2008), would be an important step in combating there is a worldwide trend to look for probiotic strains and malnutrition. to introduce them to the daily diet, which involves sharing information from different cultures and devising innovative Ironically dietary fibre has shown to influence positively methods. Internationally, fermented milk and dairy on the gut microflora, and adding probiotics to the daily products such as curds and yoghurts in solid and liquid diet can be expected to help in reducing antinutritional forms as well as a variety of fermented cheese have been effects, in addition to improving the micronutrient intake. popular. The diversity of traditional fermented products As the practice of food fermentation has helped overcome in India extends to many plant based products like seeds, hidden hunger (Kavitake et al., 2018) including a variety vegetables, and fruits (Marshall and Mejia, 2011; Blandino of fermented foods to the local diet seems to be a sensible et al., 2003; Sahlin, 1999). However such a diversity of decision. A FAO/WHO (2001) report defines the term traditional fermented foods is not restricted to South probiotic as ‘for life’ and the term is currently used to name Asian countries. A well known global example is cabbage bacteria associated with beneficial effects for humans fermentation; originating from Germany is fermented and animals. The most popular method of introducing cabbage ‘sauerkraut’, and in the far Eastern Countries like probiotics to a food is by using them to ferment a food Korea, its ‘kimchi’. The recipe of ‘kimchi’ differs from that substrate (Kavitake et al., 2018). Probiotics are much of ‘sauerkraut’ only by making it spicy. Also a traditional researched microbes that are included in an important fermented non-alcoholic beverage is ‘beet kvass’ which group of functional foods. The term functional food itself originates from Russia. In addition, in the Far Eastern has undergone many definitions over recent years, but countries many vegetables such as cucumbers and turnips all of them acknowledge their health promoting effects are fermented and served as pickles. (Martirosyan and Singh, 2015). Probiotics have many prophylactic and therapeutic effects through the influence Although traditional preservation methods such as food they have on the gut flora. Among the roles they play are to fermentation probably developed initially only to increase extract nutrients and energy from food consumed, protect shelf-life of perishable produce, with the advancement against enteropathogens, and contribute to normal immune and sharing of knowledge, their nutritional and health function (Lozupone et al., 2012). In fact traditional effects seem to have captured the attention of nutritionists fermented food sources and the knowledge of their health worldwide. Currently, the diverse health promoting promoting effects preserved in groups of populations where roles of specific probiotics which can be incorporated to information has been passed from generation to generation traditional fermented foods are well documented. This has led